Democratic leaders have distanced themselves from the efforts to impeach Mr Trump, believing it serves only to energise the president’s supporters. Mr Sherman’s resolution has one co-sponsor, fellow Democrat Al Green of Texas.

Mr Sherman filed the article a day after the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr, acknowledged that he met with a Russian lawyer during the campaign. The lawyer promised damaging information from the Russian government about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Mr Trump Jr said he received no information about Mrs Clinton at the meeting.

The president has questioned his own intelligence agencies and whether the Russians actually interfered in the election.

However, federal authorities say they have definitive evidence that the Kremlin meddled in the US presidential election.